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‘Let’s Make it Here’: Why oilfield icon NOV is rallying in support of US manufacturers
/in General/by Bart TaylorAshe Menon sold his company to NOV (formerly National Oilwell Varco) in 2006 after his firm proved its mettle using mobile devices to help increase uptime on drilling rigs. He stayed on and took a new role in 2015 when NOV and others faced the largest oil and gas downturn in decades. Menon was asked to […]
Why OEMs and product manufacturers should rethink procurement
/in General/by Bart TaylorThere’s excess production capacity in America’s industrial base. Yet finding capable local suppliers is an opportunity that continues to be overlooked US manufacturing is stuck in a negative feedback loop. Consider Ford CEO Jim Farley’s otherwise well-intentioned comments relating to his company’s workforce challenges. “We are in trouble in our country,” Farley recently said, […]
Why manufacturing’s AI-lag is a good thing
/in General/by Bart TaylorIt’s no secret that across US industry, adoption rates of AI, and technology in general, differ. Consider service giant Amazon. Insiders now forecast the company to jettison 500,000 employees in the coming years because of AI, on top of tens of thousands already sent packing. Manufacturers have no such luxury – or inclination. People are […]
Why Cobot Welding is Breaking Through in a Big Way
/in General/by Bart TaylorDoug Rhoda and team launched Vectis Automation at FABTECH in 2019, after deciding a year earlier the timing was probably right. “I walked FABTECH in 2018, asking myself, ‘is this (cobot welding) going to make sense or not?’” Six years later, with over 700 units now installed throughout North America, the answer is evident. But […]